Groton – Bernadette (Alavosius) Holbrook, 65, of Groton, died peacefully Monday, May 27, 2013 at Marlborough Hills Healthcare Center after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
She leaves her husband, Alan, and her two children, Matthew and Abbey, and her sister, Carolyn Richards; her sister's children, Julian and Lauren; her brother, Mark Alavosius and his two children, Nadia and Sofia, as well as by several aunts and cousins. She was predeceased by a brother, Paul, and by her mother and father, Estelle and Bernard Alavosius.
She was born in Shrewsbury, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Anna Maria College and a Master of Art in Education degree from Boston University. She taught school for many years in both the Massachusetts public school system and at Dean College, as well as working as a technical writer for a computer company in Miami, Florida.
She enjoyed gardening, painting, and needle crafts, and was an avid traveler, visiting extensively in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours Thursday, May 29, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., at Britton Funeral Home, 648 Main St., Shrewsbury. A funeral Mass honoring and celebrating Bernadette's life will follow at 11 a.m. in Saint Anne's Church, 130 Boston Tpke., Shrewsbury. Burial will follow in Worcester Memorial Park of Paxton.
Donations in Bernadette's memory may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts/New Hampshire, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472 or online at http://www.alz.org. Please honor Bernadette by referencing her name when you donate.
To leave a message of condolence for the family or view the Book of Memories, please visit www.brittonfuneralhomes.com.
